ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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ISEN members in the midwest may be interested upcoming events hosted by the Informal Learning Environments Research Special Interest Group (SIG)  of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in Chicago, April 9-13.  See below for information on the reception at the Chicago Children's Museum and the various presentations.

If you can't make it to Chicago, you can find out more about AERA and the SIG at AERA.net.  Click on SIGs - we're # 49.
Kit

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Date:         Wed, 4 Apr 2007 17:25:30 -0600
From:         Dean Grosshandler <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: ILER events for AERA, including Wed night reception at Chicago Children's Museum
To:           [log in to unmask]

Dear Colleagues,

The Informal Learning Environments Research SIG is pleased to 
announce its roster of events for the upcoming AERA 2007 conference in Chicago.

In addition to an exciting set of presentations during the conference 
itself, we are holding a reception Wednesday night at the popular and 
richly interactive Chicago Children's Museum. Our speaker will be 
Justine Cassell, professor in Communication Studies and Electrical 
Engineering and Computer Science and director of the Center for 
Technology and Social Behavior at Northwestern University. Her work 
with Embodied Conversational Agents, "virtual humans capable of 
interacting with humans using both language and nonverbal behavior," 
is both controversial and fascinating, and together with Justine's 
reputation as an engaging speaker, the talk promises to provoke a 
good deal of discussion.

We will have the run of the museum's exhibits, and the reception is 
open to non-SIG members, so you are welcome to bring friends and 
colleagues who have not yet had the good fortune of being a member of 
the SIG or of visiting the museum. Please do remember to bring your 
AERA badge. (The museum will be closed during this event and will be 
unable to accommodate children.)

The Chicago Children's Museum is located on Navy Pier, close to the 
conference hotels. One of the most popular attractions in the Chicago 
area, Navy Pier is a great place to stroll before and after the 
event, with a great view of the Chicago skyline. It also is close to 
some of the best restaurants in the city. I hope you will join us for 
what promises to be a terrific presentation and an excellent 
opportunity to meet colleagues from informal education institutions 
from Chicago and around the world.

If you are planning to attend, please RSVP to me at 
[log in to unmask] with "RSVP: ILER museum reception" in 
the subject line. You are still welcome without the RSVP, of course, 
but it will help us plan for food and drinks. Thanks!

Sincerely,

Dean Grosshandler, Ph.D.
Chair, AERA Informal Learning Environments Research SIG

Associate Director
Office of STEM and Education Partnerships
osep.northwestern.edu
Northwestern University

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**Monday, April 9**
4:05 - 4:45 pm
Museums as Contexts for Learning: Families, Teachers, Teenagers, and Children
Paper Discussion
Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Ballroom, Sections C-D South, East Tower 
- Gold Level

4:55 - 5:35 pm
Location and Informal Learning Opportunities for Adults and Children
Paper Discussion
Hyatt Regency Chicago, Grand Ballroom, Sections C-D North, East Tower 
- Gold Level


**Tuesday, April 10**
12:25 - 1:55 pm
Methodological Challenges and Innovations in Studying Learning in 
Informal Contexts
Interactive Symposium
Hotel Inter-Continental Chicago, Exchange, Eleventh Floor


**Wednesday, April 11**
12:25 - 1:55 pm
Learning About Science and Technology Outside of School: Lessons From 
Current Research
Symposium
Hotel Inter-Continental Chicago, Burnham, Eighth Floor


---Wednesday evening reception---
6 - 7:30 pm
Drinks and hors d'ouevres

6:30 - 7 pm: Justine Cassell, director of the Center for Technology 
and Social Behavior at Northwestern University, speaking on "Embodied 
Conversational Agents: The Power of Virtual Peers"

Chicago Children's Museum
Navy Pier (about a mile from the conference hotels)
http://www.chichildrensmuseum.org/


**Thursday, April 12**
12:25 - 1:55 pm
Communities of Practice: The Impact of Informal Learning Contexts and 
Partnerships
Symposium
Hotel Inter-Continental Chicago, Sullivan, Eighth Floor

6:15 - 7:45 pm
Business Meeting
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Arkansas, Level 2
Refreshments will be provided


**Friday, April 13**
10:35 am - 12:05 pm
Designing Exhibits With Family Collaboration in Mind
Hotel Inter-Continental Chicago, Holabird, Eighth Floor
  

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